Comments on: Spore Suckshttp://blog.gaming.stackexchange.com/2011/05/spore-sucks/
The Gaming Stack Exchange BlogFri, 09 Dec 2016 16:32:09 +0000hourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.5.4By: Neuthttp://blog.gaming.stackexchange.com/2011/05/spore-sucks/#comment-535010
Mon, 05 May 2014 15:52:28 +0000http://gamingse.wordpress.com/?p=101#comment-535010I have to agree that Spore was a very large disappointment. It set itself up to be the God Game of All God Games, allowing you to control all stages of evolution up through the civilization and space-faring stages. What it turned out being was five separate games within a game, with each of those games being rather shallow and easy to get through. That is, until you go to the space-faring stage, which took longer to beat than all of the other phases combined.

Spore looked great on paper but worked poorly in execution. Too many big, ambitious ideas given the real constraints of time and budget. Especially under EA. Go figure.

]]>By: DailyDhttp://blog.gaming.stackexchange.com/2011/05/spore-sucks/#comment-46
Fri, 27 May 2011 13:28:56 +0000http://gamingse.wordpress.com/?p=101#comment-46Spore didn’t even let me play itself. “For security reasons the game can only be installed a few times” that’s what it sad…

A few days ago, my friend gave me his copy of spore to install it on my computer. It didn’t let me (for security reasons -_-) so i decided to buy my own copy.

And as i happily put it in my CD-driver and install it, guess what it says?

“WE CAN’T LET YOU PLAY THAT GAME FOR SECURITY REASONS!”

it didn’t even let me put in my newly accuired key…
This game is flying out of the window very, very soon…

]]>By: Raven Dreamerhttp://blog.gaming.stackexchange.com/2011/05/spore-sucks/#comment-35
Mon, 16 May 2011 22:31:45 +0000http://gamingse.wordpress.com/?p=101#comment-35I think that Spore could have been the Best Game Ever ™ with one tiny change — if it were open to modding, the way Fallout, The Elderscrolls, heck, even Dwarf Fortress is.

Spore, as it was shipped, was a poor game, I won’t deny that (and in fact, I agree with you). What it had, however, was a good framework. I can’t tell you how often I sat thinking in between my games of simon says or spear-axe-shaman-torches about how good the game could have been, if only they had done this, or if players could do that instead of those.

]]>By: Joshhttp://blog.gaming.stackexchange.com/2011/05/spore-sucks/#comment-33
Mon, 16 May 2011 18:13:58 +0000http://gamingse.wordpress.com/?p=101#comment-33Wait… I’m not sure I played the same game that you played. At all.

In phase 1: “other cells were either: a) bigger and meaner than me or b) much much faster than me.” You felt phase one was too hard? I had no trouble finding things to eat, and I enjoyed the wide range of creatures — all created in the superficially simplistic 2D creature editor.

And then you though phase 3 was too easy? I was never able to just sit back and profit — other civilizations grew far too powerful without my constant interference.

“At some point along the way, the game had established a moral system for me… If the moral system doesn’t effect gameplay, it isn’t adding anything to the game.” What moral system? The game tracks whether you are peaceful, aggressive, etc (a couple of different axes) but nowhere that I found does it say that one is moral and one is immoral. I was never told that I was good or evil. And it DID add to the game: it affected which special abilities you were granted in the next phase. The only actual morality I saw in the game was after I got the nuclear bomb and said, “hmm, I wonder what this button does?” and dropped it on an enemy city… the city was obliterated and every remaining civilization became my sworn enemy forever. Which quite definitely affected gameplay.

The other phases were pretty simple, but were also short enough that their simplicity wasn’t really a problem. This was exactly what I expected of the game — it’s exactly what Will Wright said it would be.

I did think that designing every building and vehicle was a bit boring, and I was a little disappointed by the space phase, but only because I don’t really enjoy sandbox games (I don’t play Minecraft, either. And since you complained about Spore not providing a strong enough story, I’m guessing you don’t either.) That doesn’t mean it’s a bad game, though — just not optimized for my own personal tastes. I did enjoy the rest enough to play through the fairly short pre-space game again, making different choices to see how things would turn out differently.

I agree that the creature editor is the best part of the game, but — separated from the game, it’s not fun at all. I only find it fun because I’m then able to play the game with the creatures I’ve created. Creating them in a vacuum would be boring.

]]>By: Dan Diplohttp://blog.gaming.stackexchange.com/2011/05/spore-sucks/#comment-32
Mon, 16 May 2011 08:41:57 +0000http://gamingse.wordpress.com/?p=101#comment-32Spore was easily the most disappointing game I have ever played in my 25 years of gaming. The early E3 videos made it sound awesome, but the reality was so far removed that it was hard to believe it was the same game. Like the reviewer I really tried to like it, even fooling myself at one point it had hidden depths, but the reality came crashing down like a bad trip – it was irredeemably awful.
]]>By: Matthttp://blog.gaming.stackexchange.com/2011/05/spore-sucks/#comment-31
Mon, 16 May 2011 05:18:17 +0000http://gamingse.wordpress.com/?p=101#comment-31Completely agree. I wanted to love this game so much but the whole linear structure of an “open” game was soul destroying. Also after playing this original game for all of 30 seconds, I realised it wasn’t actually original at all, just a reinterpretation of an old SNES game (and later a Dreamcast game) called E.V.O. 16 bit graphics bit solo much better.
]]>By: fredleyhttp://blog.gaming.stackexchange.com/2011/05/spore-sucks/#comment-25
Fri, 06 May 2011 11:48:25 +0000http://gamingse.wordpress.com/?p=101#comment-25Couldn’t agree more. Does anyone else remember Escape Velocity? It’s like the space stage of Spore, but good!
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